Thursday, January 17, 2013

The Man Who Smart Mouthed God

Genesis 4 tells us a story about Cain. When God rejected his
offering of fruits and veggies, Cain was very angry. God confronts him and asks
what is wrong, saying, If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou
doest not well, sin lieth at the door
(verse 7a).

The next we know, Cain kills his brother Abel.

God again confronts him, Where is Abel thy brother? (verse 9)

Cain responds with a lie, I know not. Then, he directs a smart
remark to God: Am I my brother’s keeper? (verse
9)

Are you shocked that Cain talked
to God like that?

When I was a teen, I smart mouthed
my mother. My father overheard and, rightly so, was furious with me. He said
something like, “Don’t you ever talk
to your mother like that again!” I never did. I was so ashamed. I never wanted
to hurt my parents like that.

Cain talks that way to God. He disrespects God to His face!

Let’s backtrack a little and
analyze what actually happened.

God doesn’t accept Cain’s
non-blood offering. Cain has decided to worship as he pleases, even though he obviously
knew that God required a blood offering, like his brother offered. The Bible
says without shedding of blood is no remission(Hebrews
9:22).

God sought out Cain and talked to
him. (verse 7a) Notice that God goes
to Cain. Then Cain, instead of responding in repentance and deciding to do
right, takes out his anger on the innocent man, his brother Abel, who pleases
God. (This happens all the time. When a person doesn’t want to play by God’s
rules, he takes it out on someone who’s doing right. Sad.)

In this context, Cain kills Abel.
(This shows how sin poisons a person’s brain. Cain only had one brother at this
time, only one companion besides his parents. Cain thinks only of his own feelings, and in that moment of
anger, he slays his brother.)

When he’s caught, he lies, and he sasses God.

Lessons from this story:

Obey God’s laws. You’ll be much
happier. (Yes, Abel died, but he pleased God. Until the moment of his death, he
had a clear conscience before God.)

Respect God. God deserves our
greatest respect. He is perfect, and He is good.

When we do wrong, we should repent. (1 John 1:8-9)

When we do wrong, we can expect punishment. (Cain was doomed
to be a fugitive and a vagabond . . . in
the earth, verse 12.)

Remember that God extends grace to all sinners. (God protected Cain from being murdered—which he
deserved. God wanted to restore Cain to Himself.)

Isn’t it wonderful that God reaches out, even to people who
worship as they please and not as God pleases?

Isn’t it beautiful that God takes the initiative to restore
people to Himself?

Isn’t it a blessing that even murderers can be forgiven, if
they accept Christ as Savior?

I think so.

By the way, do you think
Cain ever repented? I’d like to hear your thoughts.

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Hi and welcome to In the Way! I explore many subjects, striving always to present them from a biblical viewpoint. Feel free to browse the tabs at the top for general categories. If you don't see what you're looking for, use the search button below. I'm a pastor's wife, mother of two, grandma, teacher, author, and blogger. I live in a quaint little village in the beautiful Basque region of northern Spain.

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Lou Ann is a young-thinking grandma with an infectious laugh. She rejoices in nature and other beautiful things--including people! She's an avid writer and practices several other artistic expressions, like singing when no one's listening, calligraphy, photography, and even "serious art." Lou Ann loves her Lord Jesus Christ, family, and her church.